Evansville, In.:  The Evansville Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are pleased to announce the hiring of Billy Welker as the new Head Equipment Manager.  The Thunderbolts’ 2023-24 season will get underway on Saturday, October 21st at Ford Center as they host the Huntsville Havoc.
Welker brings a vast wealth of pro hockey experience back to his home state of Indiana and to the Thunderbolts organization, having worked more than 2,200 professional games over the course of 34 seasons dating back to 1987-88 with his hometown Fort Wayne Komets.  Along with his three seasons as equipment manager of the Komets between 1987-90, notable lengths of Welker’s career include 14 seasons with the Shreveport/Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs of the Western Professional and Central Hockey leagues between 1997-2011, followed by the most recent 12 seasons with the Huntsville Havoc between 2011-2023.  To date, Welker has been a part of eight championship teams, most recently with the Havoc in their back-to-back President’s Cup titles of 2018 and 2019.  In reaction to joining the Thunderbolts organization, Welker commented: “I am very grateful that my family has let me come to Evansville and the beautiful Ford Center to help the Thunderbolts win.  I’ve known Coach Jeff Bes for about 20 years now, we’ve had a great relationship as opponents, and now I’m looking forward to working together on the same team and helping the players prepare to be successful.â€
In reaction to the hiring of Welker, Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes commented: “We are excited to be able to add Billy Welker to our staff.  I have known Billy for over 20 years, he has been successful everywhere he has been, and I always admired the job he did.  He definitely has the experience and knowledge to help our players be at their best, and I can’t wait to get the season started.â€
